Bobby Jindal doubles down on 'no-go zone' comments, even as Fox News backs off similar statements

Gov. Bobby Jindal was interviewed by a CNN reporter about controversial comments he made about Muslim "no-go zones" in Europe.

Gov. Bobby Jindal continued to claim Muslim "no-go zones" exist in Europe Monday, even as British political leaders and American media outlets issued statements repudiating such statements.

"I think your viewers know absolutely there are places where the police are less likely to go. They absolutely know there are neighborhoods where they wouldn't feel comfortable," Jindal told CNN in London Monday.

The comments came after Jindal gave a speech on Islamic extremism to the Henry Jackson Society, a conservative British think tank.

In the speech, he claimed there were Muslim communities in Europe that are not subjected to normal legal controls and allowed to enforce a version of Islamic religious law instead. Jindal labeled these Muslim communities -- where Islamic law is supposedly enforced instead of the parent countries' regulations -- as "no-go zones."

British Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted that "no-go zones" don't exist in the United Kingdom, as Jindal has asserted.

"When I heard this, I frankly choked on my porridge and I thought it must be April Fools Day," said Cameron, about the existence of "no-go zones" in England.

On Saturday, Fox News issued a slew of apologies and corrections about the cable network's reporting on "no-go zones," which was initially very similar to claims made by Jindal in his London speech.

"To be clear, there is no formal designation of these zones in either country and no credible information to support the assertion there are specific areas in these countries that exclude individuals based solely on their religion," said Julie Banderas, a Fox News anchor in a correction aired by the network.

CNN used clips of Jindal in a longer piece on the "no-go zones" controversy for its show, Anderson Cooper 360, later in the day.

The Democratic National Committee took no time in blasting Jindal's "no-go zone" statements and tried to call attention to budget troubles in Louisiana, which the organization said should be the governor's top priority.

"It's no surprise that Bobby Jindal would go abroad and butcher the facts in an effort to divide people; this is exactly what we've come to expect from Jindal here at home," said Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Rebecca Chalif told The Associated Press. "Jindal is just embarrassing himself."

While Jindal's trip to Europe this month was billed as a trade mission for Louisiana, political observers also believe the governor went abroad to draw attention to his foreign policy views.

Jindal is expected to announce that he will be running for president some time in the next few weeks. Like other governors running for national office, he is likely trying to boost his foreign policy experience in advance of declaring his candidacy.